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WALNUT BLOSSOMS 



WALNUT GROWING 







PUBLISHED BY THE 

Passenger Department Oregon Railroad and Navigation Co. 

Southern Pacific Company Lines in Oregon 

Portland, Oregon 



copyright, 1910, BY Wm. MCMURRAY. GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT 



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Walnut Confections 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 

A COMING INDUSTRY OF GREAT NATIONAL IMPORTANCE 



English walnuts for dessert, walnut confectionery, walnut 
cake, walnuts in candy bags at Christmas time — thus far has the 
average person been introduced to this, one of the greatest foods 
of the earth. But if the food specialists are heard, if the increas- 
ing consumption of nuts as recorded by the Government Bureau 
of Imports is consulted — in short, if one opens his eyes to the 
tremendous place the walnut is beginning to take among food 
products the world over, he will realize that the walnut's rank 
as a table luxury is giving way to that of a necessity ; he will 
acknowledge that the time is rapidly approaching when nuts will 
be regarded as we now regard beefsteak or wheat products. The 
demand is already so great that purveyors are beginning to ask, 
where are the walnuts of the future to come from? 

In 1902, according to the Department of Commerce and Labor, 
we imported from Europe 11,927,432 pounds of English walnuts; 
each year since then these figures have increased, until in 1906 
they reached 24,917,023 pounds, valued at .$2,193,653. In 1907 we 
imported 32,590,000 pounds of walnuts and 12,000,000 more were 
produced in the United States. In Oregon alone there are con- 
sumed $400,000 worth of nuts annually. 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



i 



When we consider the limited area suitable to walnut culture 
in America — California and Oregon practically being the only 
territorj^ of commercial importance — and the fact that the Old 
World is no longer planting additional groves to any appreciable 
extent, there being no more lands available, we begin to realize 
the important place Oregon is destined to take in the future of 
the walnut industry : for in Oregon, throughout a strip of the 
richest land known to man — the great Willamette basin with its 
tributary valleys and hills, an area of 60 by 150 miles — walnuts 
thrive and yield abundantly, and at a younger age than in any 
other locality, not excepting their original home, Persia. In addi- 
tion, Oregon walnuts are larger, finer flavored, and more uniform 
in size than those grown elsewhere ; they are also free from oili- 
ness and have a full meat that fills the shell well. These advan- 
tages are recognized in the most indisputable manner, dealers 
pajnng from two to three cents a pound more for Oregon walnuts 
than for those from other groves. Thus the very last and highest 
test — what will they bring in the market? — has placed the Oregon 
walnut at the top. 

However, in all of Oregon, throughout the vast domain that 
seems to have been providentially created to furnish the world with 
its choicest nut fruit, there are, perhaps, not more than 200 acres 
in bearing at the present time. The test has been accomplished 
by individual trees found here and there all the way from AVash- 
ington and Multnomah counties on the north, to Josephine and 
Jackson counties, bordering California. In a number of counties 
but two or three handsome old monarchs that have yielded 
heavy crops year after year, without a failure for the past twenty 
to forty years, ^bear witness to the soil's suitability; in other coun- 
ties, notably Yamhill, sturdy yielding groves attest the soil's 
fitness. In none of the counties of the walnut belt has but the 
smallest fraction of available walnut lands been appropriated for 
this great industry. People are just beginning to realize Oregon's 
value as a walnut center and her destiny as the source of supply 
for the choicest markets of the future. 

Were it practical to plant every unoccupied suitable acre in 
Oregon this year to walnuts, in eight or ten years the crop would 
establish Oregon forever as the sovereign walnut center of the 
world ; and the crop, doubling each year thereafter for five 



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More -Nuts than Leaves. Tree of D. H. Turner. 



years, as is its nature, and then maintaining a stead}'' increase 
up to the twentieth year, would become a power in the world's 
markets, equal, if not superior to that of North American wheat 
at the present time. 



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Garden Stuff, Melons. Pumpkins, Prunes and ('hildren ijrou'ing amnni/ the ]\'alnut 
The Walnuts will in a Few Years put out all but the Children 



The United States Year Book for 1908 estimates the food value 
of the walrrnt at nearly double that of wheat, and three times 
that of beefsteak. 

Colonel Henry Dosch, the Oregon pioneer of walnut growing, 
says: "As a business proposition I know of no better in agricul- 
tural or horticultural pursuits." 

Prof. C. I. Lewis, of the Oregon Experiment Station, writes: 
"In establishing walnut groves we are laying the foundation for 
prosperity for a great many generations." 

"Sir. H. M. AVilliamson, secretary of the Oregon Board of Horti- 
culture, writes: "The man who plants a Avalnut grove in the 
right place and gives it proper care is making provision not only 
for his own future welfare, but for that of his children and his 
children's children." 

Felix Gillett, the veteran horticulturist of Nevada City, Cali- 
fornia, wrote shortly before his death: "Oregon is singularl}^ 
adapted to raising walnuts." 

Thomas Prince, owner of the largest bearing walnut grove in 
Oregon, expresses the most enthusiastic satisfaction with the 
income from his investment, and is planting additional groves on 
his 800-acre farm in Yamhill county, in many cases uprooting fruit 
trees to do so. 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON /'--'"''' 



HISTORY IN BRIEF 

The so-called "English" walnut originated in Persia, where it 
throve for many centuries before it was carried to Europe — to 
England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy — different varieties 
adapting themselves to each country. The name "walnut" is of 
German origin, meaning "foreign nut." The Greeks called 
it "the Royal nut," and the Romans, "Jupiter's Acorn," and 
"Jove's Nut," the gods having been supposed to subsist on it. 

The great age and size to which the walnut tree will attain has 
been demonstrated in these European countries ; one tree in Nor- 
folk, England, 100 years old, 90 feet high, and Avith a spread of 
120 feet, yields 54,000 nuts a season; another tree, 300 years 
old, 55 feet high, and having a spread of 125 feet, yields 1,500 
pounds each season. In Crimea there is a notable walnut tree 
1,000 years old that yields in the neighborhood of 100,000 nuts 
annually. It is the property of five Tartar families, who subsist 
largely on its fruit. 

In European countries walnuts come into bearing from the 
sixteenth to the twenty-fourth year ; in Oregon, from the eighth to 
the tenth year; grafted trees, sixth year. 

The first w^alnut trees were introduced into America a century 
ago by Spanish friars, who planted them in Southern California. 
It was not until comparatively recent years that the hardier 
varieties from France, adapted to commercial use, were planted 
in California and later in Oregon. They were also tried in other 
localities, but without success. 

Since the prolific productiveness of the English walnut on the 
Pacific Coast has been assured, many commercial groves have been 
set out. 

TEST TREES OF OREGON 

The first walnut trees were planted in Oregon in limited 
number for purely home use, "just to see if they would grow," 
and they did. Thus the state can boast of single trees close to 
sixty years of age, each with admirable records of unfailing 
crops, demonstrating what a fortune would now be in the grasp 
of their owners had they planted commercially. 

In Portland, Oregon, on what is known as the old Dekum 
place, 13th and Morrison streets, there are two walnut trees, 
planted in 1869, that have yielded a heavy crop every fall since 
their eighth year, not a single failure having been experienced. 



(ii^ WALNUT OROWINO IN OREGON -iSSi) 

The ground has never been cultivated. The nuts planted were 
taken at random from a barrel in a grocery store. During the 
''silver thaw" of 1907, the most severe cold spell in the history of 
Oregon, one of the trees w^as wrenched in two, but the dismem- 
bered limb, hanging by a shred, bore a full crop of walnuts the 
following season. 

N. A. King, at 175 TAventy-first street, has some fine, old trees 
that have not missed bearing a good crop since their eighth year. 

Henry Hewitt, living at Mt. Zion, Portland, an elevation of 
1,000 feet, has manj^ handsome trees, one, a grafted tree fifteen 
years old, that has borne since its fifth year. Another tree of 
his buds out the fourth of July and yields a full crop as early as 
any of the other varieties. 

In Salem, there is what is known as the famous old Shannon 
tree, full}' thirty years old, with a record of a heavy crop every 
season. 

Mayor Britt, of Jacksonville, has a magnificent tree that has 
not failed in twenty j'ears. 

Dr. Finck, of Dallas, has a large tree seventeen years old 
that bore 70 pounds of nuts in its thirteenth j'ear, and has in- 
creased ever since. 

C. H. Samson, of Grants Pass, has a grove of 250 trees, now ten 
years old, that bore at seven years. 

Mr. Tiffany, of Salem, has a fifteen-year-old tree that at thir- 
teen 3'ears bore 115 pounds. 

Mr. E. Terpening, of Eugene, has four acres of walnuts 
grafted on the American black, which in 1905 produced 700 
pounds, in 1906 produced 1200 pounds, in 1907 produced 2000 
pounds, and in 1908 produced 3000 pounds. He tried seedlings 
first, but they were not satisfactory. The Epps and Reece orchard 
near Eugene produces about 100 pounds per tree, at 12 years 
of age. 

Mr. Muecke, of Aurora, planted a dozen walnuts from his 
father's estate in Germany; they made a splendid growth, and 
at six years bore from 500 to 800 nuts to a tree. 

Mr. Stober, of Carson Heights, planted nuts from Germany 
with satisfactory results. 

Mrs. Herman Ankeny, of New Era, has seven young trees 
that in 1907 netted her $15 a tree. 

10 




Here is a Santa Barbara soft-shell on the lawn of Mr. E. C. 
Apperson, in McMinnville, which at the age of eight years bore 32 
pounds of walnuts. It stood the frosts and winter of 1908-'09 and 
bears every year ; it is now 11 years old, 12 inches in diameter and 
has a branch spread of 40 feet. 



11 



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T/ic "Cozine" Walnut Tree 

Cozine tree on A street, McMinnville. Seedling, 15 years old ; 
bears good crop of nuts every year. At 1-4 years old the crop was 
125 pounds. Is 16 inches in diameter and has a spread of -12 feet. 

One sixteen-year-old tree near Albany netted its owner $30. 

A Franquette walnut near Brownsville yielded eight bushels 
at ten years. 

The French varieties planted in and around Vancouver com- 
menced bearing at seven years, and have never failed. Prominent 
growers are A. A. Quarnberg, A. High, ]Mr. H. J. Biddle, C. G. 
Shaw. 

In Yamhill county, Ed. Greer, James ]\Iorison, F. W. ]\Iyers, D. 
H. Turner and Bland Herring all won prizes at the first walnut 
fair held in the state, on nuts from their groves. 

WOOD OF THE ENGLISH WALNUT 

The wood of the English walnut is very hard and close grained, 
and nearly as hard and tough as hickory. It will no doubt be 
valuable for furniture, finishing lumber and any other use that 
may recjuire a first-class hard wood. 



12 



i^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON v c;.^ 

YOUNG GROVES OF OREGON 

The Prince walnut grove of Dundee, Yamhill county, thrills 
the soul of the onlooker with its beauty, present fruitfulness, and 
great promise. Lying on a magnificent hillside, the long rows of 
evenly set trees — healthy, luxurious in foliage, and filled with nuts 
— present a picture of ideal horticulture worth going many miles 
to see. There is not a weed to mar the perfect appearance of 
the well-tilled soil; not a dead limb, a broken branch, a sign of 
neglect or decay. In all, 200 acres are now planted to young wal- 
nuts, new areas being added each season. From the oldest grove, 
about forty-five acres, the trees from twelve to fourteen years 
old, there was marketed in 1905 between two and three tons of 
walnuts; in 1906 betAveen four and five tons; in 1907 ten tons 
were harvested, l)ringing the highest market price, 18 and 20 cents 
a pound w^holesale, two cents more than California nuts. The 
crop for 1908 was at least one-third heavier than for 1907. One 
tree on the Prince place, a Mayette, that has received extra culti- 
vation, by way of experiment, now twelve years old, has a spread 
of thirty-eight feet, and yielded in its eleventh year 125 pounds 
of excellent nuts. Mr. Woods, the superintendent of the Prince 
place, considers A^^alnut growing a comparatively simple matter; 
he advocates planting the nut where the tree is to grow, choosing 
nuts with care; and then thorough cultivation. The soil is semi- 
clayey, red, hill land. 

Near Albany, Linn county, 700 acres are planted ; the soil is 
a rich loam, and seems admirably adapted to walnuts. 

Near Junction City, in Lane county, there are 200 acres of 
young trees. Every condition seems present for the best results. 

Eugene has two small groves. 

Yamhill county, where the greatest demonstration thus far 
has been made, has close to 3,000 acres in young trees, the planting 
having been both on hill and valley lands. 

At Grants Pass, Josephine county, there is a jDromising grove 
of 600 young trees. 

Near Aurora and Hubbard, Marion county, where the soil is a 
rich, black loam, rather low, a number of young groves are mak- 
ing a growth of four and five feet a season. 

J. B. Stump, of Monmouth, Polk county, has a very thrifty 
young grove. 

13 




^4 Young Willamette Valley Groz'e 

This is a view of a part of the R. Jacobson orchard one and 
one-half miles west of McMinnville. The land was bought for $60 
per acre and when planted to walnuts sold for $200. The orchard 
is now five years old and could not be bought for $600 per acre. 
It is located on a hill 150 feet above the level of the valley. 

The largest single grafted grove in Oregon is situated one mile 
from Junction City, the property of A. R. ]\Iartin. He has sixty- 
five acres. 

Washington county is rapidly acquiring popularity as a walnut 
center, many fine orchards being now planted. Mr. Fred Groner, 
near Hillsboro, is now planting 100 acres to grafted trees. The 
Oregon Nursery Company is establishing large walnut nurseries 
in Washington county. 

In Douglas county, vicinity of Drain, little attention has been 
paid to walnut culture, but a sufficient number of trees are doing 
well to insure good results from large plantings. 

In Jackson county, near Medford, a number of young groves 
have been planted, and individual trees throughout the Rogue 
River Valley furnish ample evidence of correct soil and climatic 
conditions in that section. Even when apple trees have been 
caught by frost the walnuts have escaped uninjured, bearing later 
a full crop. 

In Tillamook county only sufficient trees have been planted to 
demonstrate favorable soil conditions. 



14 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



While western Oregon is universally conceded to be the nat- 
ural walnut center, eastern Oregon also has its localities where 
walnuts bear heavily, and will prove a good commercial crop. 
In Baker county there are thousands of acres of land adapted to 
walnuts; young groves are lieing planted, and a number of trees 
have produced fine crops. 

When one considers the years of the future when the trees 
of each of these young groves will lift their symmetrical heads 
fiftj', sixty, ninety feet into the air, laden to full capacity with 
a plenteous crop, each October dropping their golden-brown nut 
harvest that falls with the clink of dollars to the commercial- 
minded, but with an accompaniment of finest sentiment in the 
hearts of those otherwise inclined, one turns away with a desire 
to repeat the wisdom of these pioneer planters and start a grove 
of his own. With what grander monument could one commemo- 
rate his little jspan on earth? 

LOCATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL GROVES 

Much is heard, in a general way, of necessary climate and 
soil conditions for walnut culture, some giving preference to the 
hillsides, others to valley lands : some contending for a deep, rich 
loam, others for sandy soil. But a careful examination of the 
soils of Oregon and the trees now bearing thereon produces con- 
vincing evidence that almost any deep, rich, well-drained, western 
Oregon soil — and some in eastern Oregon — not underlaid by 
hardpan, will insure a good harvest, providing the right varieties 
are planted. The whole question resolves itself into a. matter 
of intelligent choice of trees to suit varying conditions. 

For example, the famous Prince grove is producing magnifi- 
cent crops on soil decidedly clayey; but the place is thoroughly 
cultivated and careful selection has been made of hardy trees, the 
Mayette being preferred. 

Another young grove is proving that walnuts do well on 
clayey hill land of buckshot nature, where the drainage is good 
and there is no rock or hardpan. 

In contrast with the hill land, young groves are making 
admirable growth on the rich loam about Aurora and McMinnville. 

Mr. Henry Hewitt, of Portland, has fine, young seedlings on a 
hillside, elevation 1,000 feet, that made four feet of growth in one 
season. 

15 




View of a Yamhill Orchard 

In the neighborhood of all these groves, there are hardy, bear- 
ing trees that amply foreshadow the future of the larger plant- 
ings. Colonel Henry Doseh, the pioneer walnut grower of Oregon, 
who has experimented rather thoroughly, even goes so far as to 
claim that rocky soil is not objectionable, providing there is no 
hardpan. 

In this, as in all other horticultural pursuits, naturally the 
richer soils are best ; but the industrious horticulturist, by cultiva- 
tion, fertilization, and proper care, can produce a fairly gooci grove 
on unfavorable lands. However, so much of Oregon is favorable 
by nature that growers will hardly undertake to enrich the few 
less desirable areas for a good many years to come. Land that on 
the Atlantic slope would be seized readily enough, in Oregon is 
passed by, as there is still so much untouched that nature has 
made ideal. Years hence growers accustomed to the less fertile 
conditions of the far east will undoubtedly turn their attention to 
even the few poorer areas in Oregon, and make of them glowing 
garden spots. 



16 





WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



It is a simple matter to determine the presence of hardpan ; 
you have but to make a series of tests — four or five to the acre — 
with a plumber's auger; and this care should be taken in every 
area where soil conditions have not been fully determined. 

PLANTING 

Gather the walnuts during the fall or winter, fall is better, 
and put them in boxes about the size of ordinary apple boxes, 
putting in first a layer of sand (the sandy loam along the valley 
streams is excellent) about four inches deep, then a layer of wal- 
nuts about the same depth, then cover these over with three or 
four inches more of sand. Place these boxes out in the weather 
on the ground where the water will not rise in them. The reason 
for putting the walnuts in boxes instead of beds, as advised by 
some planters, is that the boxes may be taken to the field or 
nursery and the nuts lifted carefully from the sand and placed 
where they are to grow. It sometimes happens in a wet and back- 
ward spring that the walnuts will sprout before the ground is 
ready for planting, in which case they must be handled with the 
tenderest care and not exposed to the atmosphere any longer 
than can be helped. 

One grower had a bed of hybrid black walnuts. The season 
was late and when the ground was ready for planting many had 
started to grow. He engaged some boys to grabble out the nuts 
from the sand beds, urging care, but many of the best were 
broken and injured. Some of them had sent down a taproot 
nearly or quite three inches in length. These early ones, under 
proper conditions, are the most vigorous and surest growers, but 
in the treatment they received many were injured and killed. 

Black walnuts are slow to germinate, sometimes laying in the 
ground two years before sprouting. But if kept properly they 
will start by June or July. 

For the nursery the ground should be plowed deep and thor- 
oughly pulverized. Plant the nuts 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 
about 3 feet apart. Put a handful of the sand from the boxes 
around each walnut. Our soil will appreciate the sand or silt from 
the drifts along the valley streams, as it has proven to be one 
of the best fertilizers known. If anyone doubts this let him 
try a quantity of it on his kitchen garden. 

17 




A California Black Walnut near McMinnville 

On the Ford place, near the North Yamhill bridge, is one of 
the finest trees in the county, 33 inches diameter, height 75 feet, 
spread of branches 60 feet. Bears an abundance of nuts every 
year. It is 34 years old. The seeds are much used to raise grafting 
stock. 

Nearly all of the black walnut seed produced in the Willamette 
valley will partake more or less of a mixed or hybrid nature, 
whether from a California black, Japanese black, or American 
black. The black walnuts are very susceptible to cross polliniza- 
tion and the English walnut also, for be it known that 

With wandering bees and the sweet May breeze, 
That virile tide goes far and wide. 



18 



■i-.?'X 




§> WALNUT OROWINO IN OREGON \..:..^^ 



The nut should be planted two or three inches deep. A good 
authority says to place the nut on its side as it would lay after 
falling from the tree. If the nut is sprouted make a hole in the 
well pulverized soil and put the root carefully down into it. 

The best way for planting in the orchard is to bore a hole with 
a post or well auger 4 or 5 feet deep where the tree is to grow, 
put in a stick of dynamite and break up the ground thoroughly. 

Or, better still, bore down to permanent moisture and fill 
the lower hole with good soil or other root food, then dynamite 
4 or 5 feet of the upper section of the hole. Nothing will produce 
a vigorous and thrifty tree like a deep and vigorous root sytem, 
and no tree responds to cultivation and care as does the walnut, 
white or black. After bursting up the soil, excavate and put in 
a half bushel of barn or other mould, well rotted. This will force 
the tree in the earlier years of its life and can be no hindrance 
to it later. Cover the manure with a foot or two of soil and plant. 
Both before and after planting the ground should be ploughed 
and harrowed until it is as mellow as an ash heap. Plant three 
or four nuts in a hill 6 to 8 inches apart and at the end of the 
first season's growth pull out all but the most vigorous one. For 
transplanting from the nursery the same methods should be 
followed in the preparation of the hole and the soil as in planting 
the seed nuts. If one wants to lay the foundation for a fine 
orchard and a fine fortune as a consequence, these preliminary' 
steps must not be neglected. Because in time you expect this tree 
to pay you a rental of $8 to $12 a month. If you are building a 
cottage that would bring in that sum, you would put in much 
more work and money besides. The Avise grower would rather 
have a man plant six trees for him in one day than sixty. The 
walnut is usually a very vigorous tree and will fight its way 
among adverse conditions and surroundings, but its golden show- 
ers are much more abundant if it is protected from the scars of 
battle, especially in its youth. It almost seems to respond to the 
love and affection given to it by a kind master. Animals respond 
to kindness, and why not the domestic trees? It will pay you a 
big salary after a while when your other bank accounts and your 
health and strength fail. 

19 




American Black Walnuts 

A magnificent row of nine American black walnuts, 35 or 40 
years old. The tree in the foreground is 29 inches in diameter of 
trunk. The tallest of the trees is nearly 60 feet and they have a 
spread of more than 70 feet. They are at the residence of Dave 
Johnson on the Portland road about 8 miles from ]\IcMinnville. 
Seed from such trees as these would produce the very best trees 
for grafting upon. 

There are very few California blacks of pure strain in the 
country. The hybrids or crosses with the American or eastern 
black walnut are better trees for grafting stock than the pure 
Californias. They are more hardy and better adapted to our 
climate. 



20 



^'^^}i^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



WHAT TO PLANT 

Horticulturists of equal fame and experience take different 
views on the subject of planting, some contending that the nut 
should be planted where the tree is to grow ; others that seedlings 
are the thing, and still others that trees should be grafted. And 
as all three plans have produced good results in Oregon, the indi- 
vidual planter may take his choice, according to the circumstances 
in which he is situated. The truth is that the walnut is one of the 
hardiest of trees, and with good attention will not disappoint if 
the right kinds are properly started. 

In planting walnuts to raise seedling trees the best available 
seed nuts should be used. Select the best and most prolific variety 
and the one most suited to the climate. 

1, It is claimed that the nuts from a grafted tree will produce 
the best seedling trees. This may be true as a rule, as the nut 
from such a tree will have some of the characteristics of the stock 
upon which the parent tree was grafted. It may inherit some of 
the resistant qualities of the black walnut or the rapid growth of 
the California hybrids. It may have early ripening qualities. It 
is well to consider all these points as well as the quality of the 
nut when selecting seed. , , 

By careful selection and cross pollination many and better 
varieties will be produced. No doubt a nut superior to any that 
has yet appeared in any country will yet be originated in the 
Willamette Valley, as in the case of the Bing and Lambert cherry 
and some other fruits. 

The improvement of the walnut in this section is one of the 
most fertile fields of investigation to be found anywhere and one 
that promises big reward to the successful culturist. And the 
walnut grower need not wait long to find whether he has a 
prize or not, for just as soon as the little sprout comes from the 
ground and has hardened sufficient to handle, a skillful grafter 
can place it in a bearing tree and tli>° second or third year know 
the result of his experiment by the production of fruit, and this 
not more than three or four years from the planting of the seed. 

The advantage of planting walnuts, providing you secure first 
generation nuts of the right variety for your soil and atmospheric 
conditions, is in simplicity and inexpensiveness. You merely pur- 
chase your nuts of a reliable concern, or from an isolated grove 

21 





WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 

of one variety (many send direct to France, where pure strains 
can be more readily gotten), and in February plant them on their 
sides in a shallow box of moist sand ; keep in a cool place. In 
April, or as soon as they sprout, dig a hole 21^ or 3 feet deep, put 
in surface loam, and plant three or four nuts to a hole about 2 or 
3 inches deep. They will come up by June and make a growth 
of a foot or so the first season. 

It is contended by many that nothing is gained by planting 
seedlings in the nursery, as the set-back from transplanting pre- 
vents their bearing any earlier than trees of the same age grown 
from nuts. 

Grafted trees, on the other hand, are difficult to obtain in large 
numbers, are expensive, but produce nuts of uniform size and 
beauty, and the pollination is said to be more sure. 

The industry is still too young in Oregon for the final word 
to have been spoken on this point. The future will undoubtedly 
add much valuable information as larger experience supplants 
theory with facts. 

The vital point is to plant good nuts or reliable seedlings from 
a pure strain. 

In choosing varieties be governed by your location. If frosts 
are to be feared get late-blooming varieties, the leading ones 
established in Oregon being the Mayette and the Franquette. 
Other varieties will undoubtedly be introduced in the next few 
years that will withstand frost in regions where walnut planting 
now seems impractical. Mr. Henry Hewitt's one tree that blooms 
the fourth of July, at an elevation of 1.000 feet, is evidence of the 
possibilities in this direction. Air drainage is necessary. 

The tested varieties in Oregon to date, and the results, are as 
follows : 

Mayettes (the famous "Grenoble" of commerce) and Fran- 
quettes are first choice for hardiness and for reliable commercial 
crops, the nuts being of good size, fine flavor and in every way 
meeting the highest market demands. 

Proeparturiens bear earlier than other varieties, are very pro- 
ductive and as fine flavored as a hickory nut, but the nuts are 
small for best commercial prices. 

The Chaberte is a hardy tree, good for the uplands, and pro- 
lific; a delicious nut, small but excellent for confectioners use. 

The Ford Mammoth, Glady and Bijou are too large to find 
favor for commercial purposes. 

22 




-4 Fine Japanese Hybrid in Lafayette 

The Parisienne, ]\Ieylan and Lanfray are newer varieties that 
give much promise, but have not been thoroughly tested. 

H. M. Williamson, Secretary Oregon State Board of Horti- 
culture, in an article says : 

''The extremely unfavorable weather of the past winter 
(1908-9) has been one of the best things which could have hap- 
pened to many heedless persons who planted walnut trees without 
first taking pains to learn anything about the business. The 
destruction of many young trees of the Santa Barbara type was a 
blessing to those who planted them, and the planters deserve no 
sympathy, for the warnings not to plant trees of that type have 
been ample for many years past. 

"The fine condition of suitably located groves of walnut 
trees of Franquette, Mayette and other French varieties, after a 
winter which proved the most trying to fruit trees of all kinds 
which we have known during a long period of years, has given 
firm confidence to those who are leading in the development of the 
walnut industry in Oregon. 

"The varieties which are best adapted to culture in this state 
are those which produce the finest nuts known to the world." 



23 



^' ■ " WALNUT GROWINO IN OREGON 



P"*^- v" '*tfy^ 



SEEDLING WALNUTS 



The leading commercial orchard in the state is that of ]\Ir. 
Thomas Prince, of Yamhill county, and is composed almost entirely 
of seedling trees. The history of this orchard is best told by Mr. 
Prince in the following very conservative letter : 

"About 17 years ago the Ladd Stock Farm of Yamhill, Oregon, 
by the advice of Mr. H. E. Dosch, then Secretary, of the Oregon 
Horticultural Society, purchased from the late Felix Gillett, 
Nevada City, Cal., and planted quite a number of j^oung walnut 
trees which are now in bearing. The first few years their cattle 
received first attention and the young trees were not cultivated 
as much as they should have been to make good growth. They 
therefore do not grow the quantity of walnuts they would have 
produced with better cultivation. Two or three years after this 
Mr. Z. T. Davis, of Dundee, Oregon, also by advice of Mr. Dosch, 
purchased of Mr. Gillett some 500 one-year-old seedlings. One 
year later the writer, who had some land adjoining Mr. Davis, also 
became interested and set out about 1,500 additional trees, and 
about two years later purchased the place belonging to Mr. Davis, 
and became owner of the young trees at Dundee, with the excep- 
tion of a few purchased by several neighbors. AH are now in 
bearing. 

"Those who do not know the facts are inclined to give the 
writer more credit than he is entitled to. Mr. Dosch, the Ladds, 
Mr. Davis and Mr. Gillett were first to interest themselves and 
should receive the credit to which they are entitled. 

"We have now in Oregon and Washington quite a few trees in 
bearing, and we believe they can be grown here with profit. 
There is much to learn. We find the young trees should be care- 
fully set out and receive good cultivation for the first few years. 
That the selection of the trees and the location in which to grow 
them are very important. The number of trees to the acre, and 
whether to grow seedling or grafted trees; and if grafted whether 
root grafting or top grafting is best must be considered. 

"I think growing of walnuts has the advantage of many other 
products. The crop is easily grown, harvested and marketed ; 
the labor greatly economized and the net profits a larger per cent 
of the gross receipts ; while sometimes with other crops the results 
are just the reverse — the net profits but a small per cent of the 
gross receipts. 

' ' The question is often asked how much is land worth that is 
suitable; how long before trees will bear, and how much will 
they produce, etc. The price of land depends largelj^ on location ; 
generally it is worth from .$50 to $150 per acre. Seedling trees 
come into bearing from 7 to 9 years of age, quantity from 10 
to 50 pounds per tree ; number of trees per acre, 20 to 40. 

25 




Sixty Year Old Walnut Trees on Derr Place 

These trees are about 60 years old and were planted by I. M. 
Johns, who took the donation claim two miles southeast of Mc- 
Minnville, about 1844, now the Derr farm. The trunk of the 
largest one on the right is 10 feet in circumference, and is prob- 
ably the largest English walnut tree in Oregon. They have some 
nuts every year, but are shy bearers, due no doubt to lack of 
proper pollination. The nut is not large, but is full of good meat 
and resembles the Parry. The trees are about two hundred yards 
from the Yamhill river, are hale and hearty and seem good for 
a few centuries. In fact, all of the seedlings examined in this 
county are healthy and vigorous. 

There are half a dozen or more walnut trees grooving in the 
woods and about the garden of Mr. J. T. Jones, seven miles west 
of McMinnville, which are a valuable study to the walnut grower. 
They are seedlings from the Casey tree, and they all bear full 
crops every year. The largest is 21 inches in diameter. One of 
them has a much larger and finer nut than that grown on the 
Casey tree. Hardpan is reached about 18 inches below the sur- 
face, which would indicate that no tap root were needed were it 
not for the fact that a tiny brook runs down through the garden 
not far from the trees. 



26 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON Ci 



Following is the testimony of Col. Henry E. Dosch, taken 
from ''Better Fruit" of August, 1908: 

"It is over twenty years since I first experimented with nut cul- 
ture, more especially English, or, more properly speaking, French 
walnut culture, and by persistent effort in keeping this matter 
before the horticulturists am more than gratified to know that this 
important industry is at last receiving the attention it deserves ; 
and a few who took my advice in the beginning and planted on 
a commercial basis are now reaping the benefit, as their products 
command the highest price in the market. 

"First generation nuts are produced on original trees, or on 
trees grafted from the original trees. Those nuts when planted 
produce second generation trees, and the nuts from these second 
generation trees are a little larger than the original or first gen- 
eration, which is due to the peculiar soil and climatic conditions 
of the Pacific Northwest, so well adapted to nut culture. Trees 
grown from second generation nuts retrograde very rapidly, pro- 
ducing nuts not half so large as even the first generation trees. 
and finally running out altogether. Hence it is very essential that 
we plant nuts from the original trees, or trees grown from the 
original nuts or grafted from the original trees." 

A tree on John E. Brooks' claim, Casey Place, is one of the 
earliest and most important trees in the country. It has borne a 
good crop every year for thirty-five years, and in all that time 
has led a strenuous life. It was planted first in Portland from 
a nut supposed to have been brought from the Rhine in Ger- 
many by a German sea captain. It was broken down by stock 
when Amasa Brooks saw it, and with the consent of the owner 
transplanted it to its present site, on the side of a red hill a few 
rods above the house and about 100 feet above the level of 
the valley. There it was much abused by stock, and exposed to 
other accidents. When it began to bear, the squirrels would 
gather the nuts as soon as they were big enough to attract them. 
"When the tree was visited in August, 1909, for the purpose of 
getting a photograph it was found that a squirrel had burrowed 
under the roots, making an opening large enough to admit a good- 
sized foxhound, and a quantity of nuts hulls were piled about it 
and scattered beneath the tree. It is 23 inches in diameter and has. 
a branch spread of nearly 60 feet. Trees of the fourth generation 
from this tree are in bearing near McMinnville and are producing 
fairly good nuts, some better than the original tree, demonstrat- 
ing that the seedling walnut tree can be improved here by seed 
selection. 

27 




.4 Grafted Walnut 

The above is a two-year-old grafted tree in the orchard of Mr. 
Prince. It was sent to him by Judge Leib, of San Jose, in order 
to convince him of the superiority of the grafted tree. You will 
note that the little bush has two good-sized nuts, and also that 
it bore one last year, the first year from the nursery. With this 
ratio of increase at 20 years of age it would produce about three 
and one-quarter tons of walnuts, counting 42 nuts to the pound, 
the weight of first-class Oregon walnuts. But this is not probable. 

GRAFTED TREES 

The testimony in favor of the grafted tree is not yet very 
abundant in Oregon, as the grafting business is new; but with 
the evidence at hand it will surely have a standing in court. 
Prof. Lewis speaks plainly on this subject. He says : 
' ' One of the main points of discussion is, Which are preferable 
— grafted or seedling trees? Let us consider the seedling tree 
first. There are men who claim that these are superior to grafted 
trees, especially in size, prolificness, etc. ; that there is something 
about our wonderful Oregon climate that causes the so-called 
second generation trees to bear larger and better fruits than the 
parent plant. And these writers love to dwell on the subject of 



28 




^^i&^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



generation. There is at times a sort of mystery, an uncanny 
vagueness connected with this subject that is baffling and 
bewildering to the layman, and causes him to listen with mouth 
agape. It is the same sweet silly story that we have had to learn 
by bitter experience with other nuts and fruits, and some of us 
will evidently pay dearly for it in the case of the walnut. The 
term 'first generation' is generally applied to the parent tree — 
some say the original tree, while others put the clause on the 
original grafted tree. Nuts taken from such trees and planted 
produce the second generation trees. These may be equal, may 
be superior, or may be inferior to the original stock. It is this 
very variation and unstability that makes the seedling to a more 
or less degree a gambling proposition." 

The following is taken from a paper on walnut culture by 
Luther Burbank, read before the annual meeting of the California 
Fruit Growers convention : 

"In all cases the best results will be obtained by grafting on 
our native California black walnut or some of its hybrids. No 
one who grows English walnuts on their own roots need expect to 
be able to compete with those who grow them on the native black 
walnut roots, for when grown on these roots the trees will uni- 
formly be larger and longer lived, will hardl}^ be affected by blight 
and other diseases, and will bear from two to four times as many 
nuts, which will be of larger size and of much better quality. 
These are facts, not theories, and walnuts growers should take 
heed. 

"Although not popular among nurserymen, yet the best way 
to produce a paying orchard of walnuts is to plant the nuts from 
some vigorous black walnut tree, three or four in each place 
where a tree is to stand. At the end of the first summer remove 
all but the strongest among them. Let the trees grow as they 
will, for from three to six years, until they have formed their 
own natural, vigorous system of roots, then graft to the best 
variety extant which thrives in your locality, and if on deep, 
well-drained land you will at once have a grove of walnuts which 
will pay, at present ,or even with very much lower prices, a most 
princely interest on your investment. By grafting in the nursery, 
or before the native tree has had time to produce its own system 
of roots by its own rapid-growing leafy top, yovi have gained lit- 

29 



^M^ WALNUT OROWINO IN OREGON " ll 

V ^^^-"-^:^ ,.-',^ 

tie or nothing over planting trees on their own roots, for the foli- 
age of any tree governs the size, extent and form of the root 
system. Take heed, as these are facts, not fancies, and are not 
to be neglected if you would have a walnut grove on a safe 
foundation. 

''I hold in my hands a record, and also a photograph, of one of 
the Santa Rosa walnut trees, grafted, as I recommended, on the 
black walnut, 1891 ; this was handed to me by the owner, George 
C. Payne, of Campbell. The record maj'' be of interest to you: 
Dimensions (1905) — Spread of top, 66 feet; circumference one 
foot above ground, 8 feet 9 inches. No record of nuts was kept 
until 1897, which amounted to 250 pounds; 1898, 302 pounds; 
1899, 229 pounds ; 1900, 600 pounds ; 1901, 237 pounds ; 1902, 478 
pounds; 1903, 380 pounds; 1904, 481 pounds; 1905, 269 pounds; 
1908, 712 pounds. 

"The walnut has generally been considered a very difficult 
tree to graft successfully. Mr. Payne has perfected a mode of 
grafting which in his hands is without doubt the most successful 
known; by it he is uniformly successful, often making one hun- 
dred per cent of the grafts to grow. Who can do better by any 
method ? 

"When you plant another tree, Avhy not plant a walnut? 
Then, besides sentiment, shade and leaves, you may have a peren- 
nial supply of nuts, the improved kinds of which furnish the 
most delicious, nutritious and healthful food which has ever 
been known. The old-fashioned hit-or-miss nuts, which we used to 
purchase at the grocerj^ store, were generally of a rich, irregular 
mixture in form, size and color, with meats of varying degrees 
of unsoundness, bitter, must}', rancid, or with no meat at all. 
From these early memories, and the usual accompanying after- 
effects, nuts have not been a very popular food for regular use 
until lately, when good ones at a moderate price can generally, 
but not always, be purchased at all first-class stores. 

"The consumption of nuts is probably increasing among all 
civilized nations today faster than that of any other food, and we 
should keep up with this increasing demand and make the 
increase still more rapid by producing nuts of uniformly good 
quality. This can be done without extra effort, and with an 
increase in the health and rapid and permanent increase in the 
wealth of ourselves and neighbors." 









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Row of Eleven Year Old Top Grafted Black Wain lU Hybrids 

An American black walnut growing on a lot on the east side of 
Grant street, residence of J. C. Cooper, McMinnville, grafted by 
Mr. Payne May 14, 1908, grew 7 1-2 feet in 95 days and was still 
growing M^hen the terminal buds w^ere nipped by the early Sep- 
tember frost of that year. The sprouts were pruned back to 12 
inches. The tree made a vigorous growth in 1909, making a 
spread of 13 feet. Some think the American black a better tree 
for grafting stock that the California black. One of the noblest 
and grandest trees in any American forest is the American black 
walnut, and while a little slow at the beginning of its career it is 
only a question of time when it will overtake all others. It knows 
no disease or pests, and he who plants it lays a foundation for 
20 to 50 generations to come as well as for himself and those of 
his own household. 

A four-j^ear-old hybrid, 4 inches in diameter, grafted in by Mr. 
Payne, grew a sprout as shown, 7 feet 9 inches high in four 
months from the setting of the graft. It is growing on the east 
side of D street near the Presbyterian church in front of the 
residence of Mrs. Sarah Updegraf, McMinnville, Oregon. Three 
trees there all show the same vigor, with little or no cultivation. 



31 



--■■• ii^^r 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



John H. Hartog, formerly of Eugene, wrote of the experience 
of Mr. E. Terpening, one of the most successful walnut growers 
near that city: 

■ "Mr. Terpening is a devotee of the grafted tree. And why? 
A burnt child spurns the fire, says the proverb. Mr. Terpening 
set out second generation Mayettes and Franquettes, expecting 
that these seedlings would produce true, but when they com- 
menced to bear, behold his amazement at finding that he had a 
variety of almost everj^ kind. This was enough to convince him 
that in the future he would use grafted trees, and know what he 
was doing and what kind of nut he was raising. 

"Counting out trees of other kinds, he has four acres in 
walnuts, and these produced — 

In 1905 700 pounds 

In 1906 1200 pounds 

In 1907 2000 pounds 

In 1908 , 3000 pounds 

"This spring he set out 450 more trees and wisely he put 
them 50 feet apart and will grow peaches in between for a few 
years. While it is generally said that walnuts come into bearing 
after 8 • years, Mr. Terpening states that the grafted tree will 
bear commercially in 6 years, which tallies exactly with my 
experience. 

"The Terpening walnut trees are grafted on American black 
and his favorite variety is the Mayette and lately the so-called 
Improved Mayette." 

WALNUT GRAFTING 

Walnut grafting is in a class by itself, and M^alnut budding is 
not a success as practiced at the present time, although the ordin- 
ary method is shown in the cut. The top grafting method shown 
is easy and sure if you have "the know-how and skill." One of 
the important things to remember in tree surgery as well as other 
kinds, is to work quickly and deftly. Don't let the wounds of 
the scion or stub remain exposed longer than necessary-. Make the 
cuts smooth with a very sharp knife, kept sharp by frequent 
"stropping." Expert walnut grafters are few, but the ordinary 
skillful orchardist or amateur can do fairly successful work by a 
study of the drawings in "Details of Walnut Grafting" on next 
page, and using common sense methods. 



Details of Walnut Crafting 




Cut off the branch or stock to be grafted with a sharp pruning 
saw at a point where the stump will be from one to two and a half 
inches in diameter. Split through the center of the stub with a 
sharp knife as shown in figure 1, using a mallet. Depress the 
point of the splitting knife and strike with the mallet, cutting the 
bark and sap down the side of the stub instead of tearing it. then 
depress the handle and cut down the other side in the same way. 



33 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



Open the split slightly with a hardwood wedge, as in figure 2. 
Slightly bevel the split, cutting upward, with a sharp knife as in 
figure 3. Insert the carefully fitted scion as at figure 4, being 
careful to have the cambium layer, the inner layer of the bark, of 
both stub and scion come together. 

When the scion is carefully fitted remove the wedge and fill 
the split with paper as shown at figure 5. Then cover all wounds 
over with wax brushed on warm as at figure 6. The melted wax 
should be about the consistency of thick honey. Tie a paper sack 
over all as at figure 7. This should remain until scions begin to 
grow. It keeps them warm and prevents drying out by hot 
winds. In from ten days to three wrecks the scions will have 
started sufficient to gradually remove the cover as at figure 8. 
In eight or ten days from the time grafts are set a small opening 
should be cut or torn in the north side of the paper sack so that 
the sprouting buds may have air and their growth noted. 

When the stock is too large to split through the center it 
should be split to one side of center as shown in figure 9. The 
method of shaping the scions is shown in figures 10, 11 and 12. 
Good scions and poor are sown in 13 and 14. Scions with buds 
not too far apart are best. Prong grafting is shown in figures 15 
to 18, and flute budding in 19 and 20. 

In grafting the stock should not close on the scion Avith suffi- 
cient force to bruise or injure it, but just tight enough to hold. 

Scions should- be of last year's wood and pruned or cut from 
the trees in late winter, when the tree is dormant, and cut into 
about 12-inch lengths, long enough to make three or four grafts. 
Select upright wood. Drooping branches make a sprawling and 
sometimes a barren tree. 

The dormant scions should be packed away in a cool, dark cel- 
lar in damp sand or moss, or put in cold storage and kept dormant 
until ready for use. Do not allow the buds to swell. It will be 
well to look at them occasionally to see that they do not get too 
dry nor be so damp as to mold. 

In the spring when the sap is well up and the trees to be 
grafted have sprouted and are growing during April and ]\Iay the 
grafting should be done. Work may be continued even after the 
catkins are out and the leaves half grown. 

The methods described are those practiced by Mr. George C. 
Payne, probably the most successful walnut grafter in the 
business. 

34 




Plate One. 



Tools Used in Walnut Grafting 
Furnished by Oregon Agricultural College 



GRAFTING WAX 

The following formula is the grafting wax used by Mr. Payne : 

Rosin. 5 pounds. 

Beeswax, 1 pound. 

Finely pulverized charcoal, 1-2 pound. 

Raw linseed oil, 1 gill. 

Be sure that the charcoal is finely pulverized. First melt the 
beeswax and rosin, being careful not to have the fire too hot. Add 
the charcoal, stirring constantly, and then add the oil. Mould 
into bricks by pouring into greased pans. When desiring to use 
break off a few lumps and melt in such a contrivance as is shown 
in the plate of grafting tools. The wax must be quite liquid if 
applied successfully. 

Nursery grafting, or root grafting, is not a success as practiced 
at present. The best grafters do not succeed with more than 10 
to 15 per cent. This makes the grafted tree cost from $1.50 
to $2.00 per tree, and makes that kind of walnut planting ex- 
pensive. However, Col. Dosch, in his article, quotes Professor 



35 




p^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 

Leckenby, the noted agrostologist, as saying that if directions 
are religiously followed ninety per cent of the grafts will grow. 
The directions are as follows : 

"For walnut grafts on scions use one gallon of water with 
four teaspoonfuls of sulphate of quinine. Cut scions submerged 
in the solution, and wash the cut on tree at once, to prevent it 
from turning black, acting as an antiseptic ; then insert the scion 
as on other fruit trees." 

This, from such authority, is worthy of a trial. A great amount 
of experimenting has been done in walnut grafting and a way to 
success will be found. 

BEST STOCK ON WHICH TO GRAFT 

Mr. Burbank, Judge Leib, and George C. Payne, all of Califor- 
nia, think the California black or some of its hybrids make the 
best stock in California. Mr. Groner prefers the hybrid for 
Oregon. 

Mr. A. McGill, of Oregon, thinks that neither the California 
black nor its hybrid are suited to this climate. Few have had 
more experience, costly experience at that, than Mr. McGill. He 
thinks the American black better for Oregon. 

It is sometimes asked, why not plant seedling walnuts and top 
work those that are not good bearers? Because the grafts will 
not do so well on the English stock as on the black ; and it is also 
found that the English stock does not make as good a foundation 
as the black. 

Therefore, the best growers in Oregon conclude that the seed 
from a thrifty American Black, or close hybrid, is best for this 
state. In three or four years after planting cut off the trunk 
about as high as a man's waist or shoulder and put in the graft 
from the best variety available. The third year from setting of 
the graft you will have a crop of nuts. 

Mr. Payne can set 250 to 300 grafts in a day. His Avages are $8 
a day, and he furnishes the wood. So you see that your trees 
would cost very little. Good black walnut seed can be had very 
cheap, probably at a cost of 50 cents to $1 per bushel, the Oregon 
product prefered. 

Some of the California hybrids make rapid growth, but too 
rapid growth of wood may not be desirable. It may mean early 
maturity and early decay, and too few walnut bearing boughs. 

36 



^^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON x5ii|| 

GOOD PLAN FOR WALNUT ORCHARD 

Mr. Prince, of Yamhill county, has modified his views some- 
what in regard to the grafted and seedling trees. He thinks that 
possibly the permanent orchard should be of the grafted variety, 
possibly on the Royal or California hybrid of rapid growth. He 




proposes the above form of an orchard. The principal grafted 
trees should be placed in square form 60 feet apart, represented by 
figures 3. In the center of these scjuares at figures 2 he would 
either plant the same trees or some other seedling variety which 
Avill bring the trees about 42 feet apart. Midway between the 
main grafted trees he would plant other trees, or apple trees, rep- 

37 



"•- — "^? 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



resented by figures 1 in the little squares. This would make 
trees 30 feet apart. At the end of 15 or 20 years, when the trees 
possibly become crowded, he would remove the No. 1 trees. If 
this were an apple tree, it would already have served its best 
days and no great loss would be had by its removal. At the end 
of 25 or 30 years we would remove No. 2, if the trees became 
crowded, leaving a permanent orchard of trees 60 feet apart, 12 
trees to the acre. This is an excellent arrangement, and no doubt 
about the best that has yet been proposed for walnut culture in 
Oregon. 

It is best to plant in square form, a tree to the center of 
each square, forty to sixty feet apart is the rule. Berries, small 
fruit, potatoes, vetch, peas, beans, etc., can be grown between 
the trees while they are young, leaving six or eight feet free to 
be cultivated each side of the trees. 

Many plant apples, peaches, prunes or cherries between walnut 
trees, planning to cut them out when the latter are of such size 
as to need all the space. 

These crops between the rows produce an income during the 
eight years' waiting for the walnuts to come into bearing. Each 
grower must decide this point according to his situation, always 
avoiding grains and grasses. 

THE TAP ROOT 

Some experimenting has been done and much speculation 
has been indulged regarding the tap root. One Avriter disposes 
of the whole subject in this manner : 

"The cutting of the tap root in planting seedlings has been a 
question for much discussion, many growers formerly holding 
that to cut it meant to kill the tree. This has proved a mistake. 
It has been practically demonstrated that the tree thrives better 
with the tap root cut if properly done with a sharp instrument, 
making a clean cut. New growth is thereby induced, the abund- 
ance of lateral roots feed the tree more satisfactorily and the 
trees come into bearing from two to three years earlier than 
would otherwise be the case." 



J\ \jdel\ ?UuUa:3vet 




— ~ — -~-l.f^»7.r 



Before accepting this as final it would be well to make further 
inquiry. The summers of western Oregon are practically rain- 
less and when the kernel in the formed shell is maturing unless 
there is irrigation a distress call is sent down to the roots for 
moisture, if the weather is very dry. The lateral roots cannot 
supply this dire need and if the main pump is not working away 



39 




WALNUT OROWINQ IN OREOON 



down deep in the moist earth the kernel will not fill well and may 
perish entirely'. For this reason no fibre of the tap root should be 
disturbed, but rather encouraged by a well auger hole, bored 
before the tree is planted, down to the reservoir of moisture that 
will not fail in the dryest season. 

The moisture in a dry season as a rule is nearer the surface 
in the valley than in the hills and gives a better filled nut. In 
a wet season, when the ground everywhere is full of moisture, 
the hills may produce a more abundant crop than the vallej^ but 
in the run of years it will require more time to prove which is 
most valuable for walnut culture. Trees grow in either place, but 
he who cuts the tap root in any soil does so at the peril of his 
crop in drj' seasons. 

Of the taproot, Wm. M. Reece, of the firm of Epps, Reece & 
Tillmont, Eugene, Oregon, writes: 

"The peculiar climatic conditions of the Willamette Valley, 
which at a certain season of the year becomes semi-arid, fully 
justifies the statement that trees not having a tap root are 
annually checked in their growth when irrigation is not used; 
while those that do have a tap root, as do walnuts, continue to 
grow and thrive even in the driest weather. The walnut should 
be planted, however, in soil having a subsoil free from any hard 
substance that will permit the tap root to grow downward into 
the strata of perpetual moisture. 

"This has been most thoroughly demonstrated in our walnut 
orchard this, the driest year in the memory of old settlers in the 
Valley. 

"When the growth of our apple, cherry and peach trees ceased 
because of the dry weather, our walnuts kept on growing as if 
supplied by continuous rains. It is true that liberal cultivation 
through the dry season will materially aid the growth of all 
kinds of trees not having a tap root and is indispensable to the 
growth of young walnut trees, trees that have not extended their 
tap root down to perpetual moisture. 

"Walnut trees, in the opinion of the writer, cease growing 
upward when they cease growing downward; that is to say, when 
rock, shale or impenetrable hardpan stops the growth of the 
tap root, the tree has practically reached its height. 

"Therefore, in planting a walnut grove, borings should be 
made to test the depth of the soil and character of the subsoil. 

40 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



"Unquestionably the best variety for this climate is the 
Franquette and next the Mayette. 

"Grafted trees are to be preferred to seedlings. Grafted trees 
bear much sooner and the fruit is more uniform in size, though 
a seedling that has attained the bearing age will produce as much 
fruit as a grafted tree of the same age; this we have occasion to 
observe from comparisons in our own orchard. 

"We have trees 14 years old that bore 100 pounds at the age 
of 12 years and the product sold for 25c a pound for planting 
purposes. 

"Those who had the misfortune to have the tender shoots of 
their walnut trees killed by the unusual frost early last May, 
should not be discouraged. Just examine the limbs now and you 
will find that three or four more shoots grew out where the one 
was killed. This makes more fruit buds for next year and the 
shortage of crop this year will be more than made up next. 

"The writer believes that walnut growing will prove to be 
the most profitable industry in the Willamette Valley. 

"WM. M. REECE." 

It seems to be a characteristic of the walnut and hickory, 
and possibly other nut trees, to send down a tap root deep into 
the earth to draw up the distilled and purified moisture that has 
been refined and sweetened in the lower depths. The older boys 
of the Middle Western states can recall the time when they 
wandered through the woods in late winter time, with a long 
pole or rail on their shoulders with which they "pulled hickory 
root." The young sprout was "withed" around near one end of 
the pole, then all hands put their shoulders under the long end 
and with an "altogether, heave, oh," draw vip a tap root 4, 6 and 
8 feet long. The lowest end was the choicest and sweetest. It 
was delicious and in the division of a day's hunt some of these 
found their way to "his best girl" at school. 

Whether the water down in these lower depths possesses these 
qualities, and that they are necessary to give the Oregon walnut 
its superiority is yet a matter of speculation, but that these con- 
ditions exist is well known and should have fullest consideration 
by the intelligent walnut culturist. 

41 







Tap Root of a Two-year-old Black Walnut showing how 

the root groivs down to permanent water level, thus 

insuring full crops regardless of 

weather conditions 



Cut of tap root of a 
2-year-old American 
Black which grew in 
the lower red hill 
land of Yamhill 
County. There is but 
one lateral root near 
the surface and this 
was probably caused 
by the tap root strik- 
ing harder soil on its 
way down to perma- 
nent moisture level. 

This tap root is 3 
feet long and nearly 
6 inches in circumfer- 
ence. It is one of the 
best object lessons to 
be had in walnut cul- 
ture in Oregon. 

Though the Willam- 
ette Valley has prac- 
tically four rainless 
months of sunshine, 
irrigation is unneces- 
sary. There is no 
other country com- 
parable to it. Its cool 
and d e w y summer 
nights, together with 
its great subterra- 
nean reservoir sup- 
plied by the winter 
rains, are the reasons 
why its crops never 
failandwhyits 
fruits fill "red, round 
and luscious, " and 
why the walnut has 
so persistently shown 
its preference for 
this favored region. 



42 



i^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 

WALNUT CULTIVATION 

While the walnut is the hardiest of trees and in many cases 
has borne heavily in Oregon without cultivation, experience has 
proved that, like fruit trees, cultivation up to the tenth or twelfth 
years increases the growth, the yield and the quality of the prod- 
uct. After full maturit.y no further cultivation is necessary, the 
tree taking care of itself with the independence of any forest tree. 

With a young grove it is best to plow between the rows after 
the rains cease in the spring, and then stir the ground occasionally 
all through the summer with the harow or disk ; this holds the 
moisture. When some trees seem backward a trench should be 
dug some two feet or so away, and a couple of feet deep, filled 
with fertilizer and closed over. This will encourage hardier and 
more rapid growth. Lime can also be used with good effect, it 
being customary in England to haul wagon loads to the walnut 
lands. Continually hoeing and digging constitute the best treat- 
ment, as one tree on the Prince place, a Mayette, has proved. It 
was given daily cultivation, bj^ way of experiment, and more than 
doubled the size and yield of other trees of the same age not so 
treated. 

PRUNING WALNUTS 

Walnuts require very little pruning. However, to do well they 
must have plenty of light and air, and there must be room under 
the trees to cultivate. To this end, keep all lateral growths 
removed the first two years, pushing the strong terminal growth. 
Young trees so treated often make five or six feet in that time. 
They must be staked and tied with a broad strip of cloth. Cross 
the cloth between the stake and the twig so as not to bruise the 
tender wood. As the limbs begin to grow take out an occasional 
one to prevent the tree becoming too thick. When large limbs are 
removed, cut on the slant, carefully waxing to prevent decay. 
Heading-in is often beneficial when the tree does not seem to be 
fruitful. Train the trees upw^ard as much as possible. 

In Roumania and some of the eastern countries of Europe, 
some of the walnut trees have such an enormous spread that a 
flock of five hundred sheep can lie in comfort beneath the shade 
of one tree and have ample room. If this vine-like tendency to 
spread can be obviated by intelligently training the trees upward, 

43 



^'-^ ^ ^^- WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



=:^-# 



.,^SS^ 



and its productiveness maintained or increased, the walnut grower 
of Oregon will have accomplished much in the conservation of 
our resources. 

At present we can make a tree that will produce 500 pounds 
of walnuts in 25 to 30 years. With 12 trees to the acre, will give 
6000 pounds of nuts ; two and one-half times that of wheat at 40 
bushels per acre, and they will not require the expensive refrig- 
erator cars and rapid transit of perishable fruits. 

TRAINING THE TREES 

It will only be necessary to train the limbs in seven or eight 
feet all round to be able to double the number of trees to the 
acre. Then train the trees skyward and increase the number of 
nut-bearing boughs, and the yield will be increased accordingly. 
If the nuts on the higher branches fill as well as on the lower, 
the tree can not be made to grow too high, because we have no 
violent storms to throw down the trees, and the nuts are self- 
gathering. These and many other valuable and interesting prob- 
lems in the industry are to be worked out. 

According to Prof. Lewis, who is good authority, a later and 
better method is to cut the young tree back to 4 feet and make it 
throw out three or four laterals. When these laterals are fully 
grown, bind them up in a bundle one or two feet diameter with 
soft strands of rope. In the dormant season cut these laterals 
back to about two feet. This will multiply the branches. Cut 
back the new growths again the next year, and so on ; this will 
greatl}^ increase the nut-bearing boughs and will train the tree 
upward. This seems to be the most sensible method of pruning 
yet proposed. 

NO DISEASES INJURE OREGON WALNUTS 

The soft, moist atmosphere of western Oregon, so favorable to 
the English walnut, seems wholly unfavorable to pests that 
destroy the crop in other climates. A crop has never been lost 
or materially injured in Oregon through these sources; in fact, 

44 




Old Walnut Trees Planted About iSjO. Near McMinnville. on the Yamhill River 



SO free are the Oregon trees of such enemies that little thought 
or attention has been given to this phase of the subject. In a few 
localities where caterpillars have attacked the foliage they have 
been quickly eradicated by an arsenic spray. Fumigating will 
kill insect life. A bacterial disease that has made its appearance 
in California has not been seen in this state. Winter spray of lime 
and sulphur will kill moss and lichens, which are about the only 
parasites that attempt to fasten on Oregon walnut trees. 



PislvWate or 
Produces WqImmT^. . . 



,r 



^a..f 









il 



... X:f^ 

^' '■^t: ■-. 






''n :■(^^ 



r7 

GllV.\V\ OT 

.:'■;' Proc\w.tct PoUen. 



FOLUiNIATOOM 






46 



JCCc 



U5,l^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



'^^^ 



POLLINATION 



Every fruit and nut grower should know the simple theorj^ 
of pollination. When a tree apears thrift}^ but fails to produce, 
nine times in ten the trouble is with the pollination. The walnut 
is bi-sexual and self -fertile ; the staminate catkins appear first, at 
the end of the year's growth (see Fig. 1). and the female blossoms, 
or pistillates, from one to three weeks later at the end of the new 
growth (see Fig. 2). Thus the staminate catkins sometimes fall 
before the pistillates form, and naturally there is no pollination 
and no crop. This should not discourage the grower or cause him 
to uproot his trees. Often by waiting a few seasons — if the tree 
is of the correct variety — the trouble may right itself. Many 
growers have gotten a crop from single trees where there was 
trouble with the pollination by artificially fertilizing, that is, 
shaking the pollen from fertile trees, even black walnut, over the 
barren pistillates. Birds, insects, and the breezes carry pollen from 
one tree to another. Therefore, if nuts for seed are desired, 
keep each grove of pure strain separate that there may be no 
deterioration owing to cross-fertilization. But the mixed orchard 
may bear best. Some varieties of walnut trees — notably the Los 
Angeles — are suitable only for shade in Oregon and should not be 
planted with any other thought in mind. The staminate blossoms 
of this variety appear six weeks ahead of the pistillates and, there 
being no pollination, naturallj^ there are no nuts. 




Best in the World. Oregon Walnuts 
47 




Drying the Nuts 



THE HARVEST 

The harvest comes in October, a convenient season where there 
are fruit crops to be taken care of. The process is extremely 
simple, being little more than an old-fashioned "nut gathering.' 
When ripe, the nuts fall to the ground, shedding their hulls on 
the way. They are picked up by boys, girls, men and women. 

During the harvest three or four rounds must be made through 
the grove, perhaps a Aveek elapsing betAveen trips, each time 
slightly shaking the trees to make the ripe nuts fall. On the last 
round, a padded mallet with a long handle is used to dislodge 
the remaining nuts. The expense of harvesting is slight, five or 
six people being sufficient to care for a fifty-acre grove. 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON i SS ^ 

WASHING AND DRYING 

When the nuts are gathered and brought in they are put into 
a revolving barrel-churn holding about ]2 to 16 gallons. Two 
buckets of water and about the same of walnuts are put in 
together and the churn revolved for some minutes. Then the nuts 
are taken out and spread on wire crates and placed in the sun ; 
they should be raked over two or three times a day. Or. if the 
weather is wet, they may be placed in the dry-house in a good 
draught at about 70 degrees F. In an artificial drying if the heat 
becomes too great the nuts will be rancid, as the oil-cells will 
burst; so better err on the side of underheating than overheating. 
If left out of doors, cover carefully to protect from dew. The 
crates for outdoor drying are placed on trestles in some Cali- 
fornia groves, in order that the air may circulate through the 
nuts. This is much better than placing them on the ground, 
where they draw dampness. 

SORTING AND GRADING 

After the walnuts are gathered, washed, dried and stored foi 
a week or so to test the correctness of their drying, they are ready 
to be graded by passing over a sized screen. The choicest ones 
Avill sell at top market prices, and the culls a little under. The 
Prince grove harvest is never graded, as he finds ready sale at 
highest prices for the entire output just as it runs after sorting 
out the few imperfect nuts. 

PACKING AND SHIPPING 

They are next put into pound cartons, or 50-pound bags, com- 
mon gunny sacks, ready for the market. 

Not being perishable none are lost in shipping or by keeping. 
Walnuts from Oregon groves have been kept two years, tasting 
as sweet and fresh as those in their first season. Long hauls are 
not objectionable, as the rough handling is not injurious to the 
well-sealed varieties grown in Oregon. In this they have an 
advantage over fruit. 



tv^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON < 



W 



w-.f 



«i^^ 



WALNUT YIELD PER ACRE 



While it is generally found that seedling trees properly treated 
come into bearing the eighth year, this crop is usualh^ light, 
doubling each successive season for seven or eight years. From 
then on there is a steady increase in crop and hardiness for many 
years. Often trees in Oregon bear in their sixth year ; while there 
are instances on record of trees set out in February bearing the 
following autumn. This is no criterion, however, merely an 
instance illustrating the unusual richness of Oregon soil, and its 
perfect adaptability to walnut culture. 

Thirty-five acres on the Prince place yielded at twelve years, 
twelve tons of fine nuts, which were sold at 18 and 20 cents a 
pound, two cents above the market price, making an average of 
$125 per acre. Another grove of two acres yielded in their ninth 
year two tons, or a ton to the acre, netting the owner $360 an 
acre. 

]\Ir. A. A. Quarnberg's eleven-year-old trees averaged twentj^- 
five pounds each. Mr. Henry J. Biddle's ten and twelve-A'ear-old 
trees averaged thirty pounds each. One hundred fifty dollars 
an acre from twelve-year-old trees is a conservative estimate, 
though some groves not cultivated may fall under that figure, 
while others in a high state of cultivation will almost double it. 

THE WALNUT MARKET 

The very fact that in 1907 Oregon-grown walnuts commanded 
several cents a pound higher price than those grown elsewhere 
indicates their market value. When ordinary nuts sold for 12 
and 16 cents a pound Oregon nuts brought 18 and 20 cents. 

New York dealers who cater to the costliest trade throughout 
the United States, and who have never handled for this purpose 
any but the finest types of imported nuts, pronounced the Oregon 
product satisfactory from every standpoint— finely flavored, nutty, 
meaty and delicious. They were glad to pay an extra price to 
secure all that were available. 

In the home market the leading dealers of Portland and North- 
west cities readily dispose of all of the Oregon walnuts obtainable 
at an advanced price. In fact, the Oregon walnut has commanded 
a premium in every market into which it has been introduced. 



{^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON ,_^ 

California walnuts are largely shipped east, the percentage 
entering the northern markets being comparatively small. The 
annual sum expended in Oregon for imported nuts at the present 
time is $400,000. When the Oregon growers are able to supply 
the home demand alone, shutting out importations, the population 
of Oregon will have more than doubled, and the amount expended 
in this state for walnuts will approach if it does not exceed the 
million-dollar mark. In addition to this the eastern markets will 
be clamoring for Oregon walnuts, as they now^ absorb Hood River 
apples, Willamette valley cherries and Rogue River valley pears. 
With eastern buj^ers always ready to pay an extra price for extra 
grade products, superior grades of Oregon walnuts will undoubt- 
edly be contracted for, leaving only the culls for home con- 
sumption. 

It has been conservatively estimated that at the rate the 
population of the United States is increasing, and the rate wal- 
nut consumption is increasing, by the time every available acre 
in Oregon is in full bearing the supply will still fall far short oi 
the demand. Judging by past experience in California this is no 
chimerical conception. Since 1896 the walnut crop in that state 
has steadily increased, and in like proportion has the price ad- 
vanced, from seven cents in 1896 to twenty cents in 1907. 

COMPARED WITH FRUIT 

In comparing walnut culture with fruit, one must take into 
consideration the fact that distance from transportation facili- 
ties is not a detriment ; that there is very little expense in putting 
out or maintaining a walnut grove ; that insects, blight and disease 
are unknown to walnut groves of Oregon, thus obviating the cost 
of spraying; that the expense of harvesting is exceedingly light; 
that no nut-fruit perishes— that it does not need to be sold at 
once, but will keep indefinitely, making a lost crop practically 
impossible. 

It is estimated by experienced walnut growers that the annual 
cost of cultivation and pruning should not exceed $10 an acre, 
while harvesting should not exceed 20 cents per hundred pounds. 
It is a simple matter to figure the profits. 

The original investment in a walnut grove may be made a 
comparatively small amount ; thus it appeals particularly to those 
of limited means. 

51 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



THE POUND PACKAGE 

It is difficult or impossible to establish a uniform package 
good for every year. Walnuts are not like other fruits ; size is 
not a sure indication of weight. The pound package used by 
"Sir. Thos. Prince is 3*34 x 414 x 5I/4 inches, which in 1907 when 
filled weighed 17 ounces, in 1908 it weighed 16 ounces, and in the 
dry year of 1909 it weighed but 14 ounces. 

WALNUT CONFECTIONERY 

The cut on page 5 shows the best method of cracking walnuts to 
extract the kernel in halves without breaking. Grasp the nut 
between the thumb and forefinger at the seam, place on a hard 
surface of stone or iron and strike sharply with a light hammer 
only sufficient to crack the shell without crushing the kernel. 

This method is used by most manufacturers of great varieties 
of walnut confectionery, some of which are shown in the picture. 
AValnut chocolates, walnut taffy, walnut log, panoche, nougat and 
many other articles, as well as walnut sundries to put on dishes 
of ice cream are among the tasty confections for which the demand 
is very great. 

WALNUTS IN COOKING 

A few of the delightful ways in Avhich walnuts may be used 
on the table : 

NUT BREAD 

1 pound hard wheat Hour. 
1 pound whole wheat flour. 
1 cup good yeast. 
1 cup ground Avalnuts. 

1 tablespoonful Orleans molasses. 

2 tablespoonfuls melted lard or butter. 

IMix with warm water; let it raise quite light, then mould, 
raise and bake as other bread. 

GEMS 

Graham, wheatlet or cornmeal gems are greatly improved by 
adding a few walnut kernels ground fine. 

NUT CAKE 

3 eggs, yolks and Avhites beaten separately, i/o cup — scant — 
butter, % cup milk, 1 cup walnuts ground or chopped, IVo cups 
granulated sugar, Y2 teaspoonful each of lemon and vanilla, 2 
teaspoonfuls baking powder, flour to make a moderately stiff 
batter. 

52 




WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON <^^;^^ 

CHOCOLATE NUT CAKE 

3 eggs, % eup each of brown and white sugar. % eiip of coffee 
and milk mixed, 1 cup ground walnuts, -4 tablespoonfuls melted 
butter, 2 teaspoonfuls ground chocolate or cocoa, most of ] nut- 
meg grated, 2 teaspoonfuls baking p!)wder. flour to make mod- 
erately stiff' batter. 

More satisfactory results are obtained by baking either of 
these cakes in two deep layercake tins and putting the two parts 
together with any good filling. 

NUT COOKIES 

3 cups sugar — Extra C preferred — '34 pound of butter, 2 or 3 
eggs, 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoonful of baking powder, i/o a nut- 
meg, a little ginger and cinnamon, 1 cup walnuts ground fine, 
4 cups of flour. Roll thin and bake in a quick oven. 

APPLE NUT SALAD 

4 cups of good tart apples cut in small cubes or chopped not 
too fine, 1 cup of coarsely ground, or chopped nuts. Stir lightly 
into these 1 cup of sugar and Y2 of a nutmeg grated fine. 

DRESSING FOR SAME 

2-3 cup of cold water, 2 tablespoons strong vinegar, % cup 
of sugar. Add one egg. well beaten. Put this on the stove and 
stir constantly until well cooked. If this is done carefully it will 
not curdle. Take from the stove and add a lump of butter the 
size of a walnut, grate in a little nutmeg and stir gently until 
the butter is well melted and mixed. Some whipped cream may 
be added to this when cool if desired or convenient. 

BY-PRODUCTS 

In addition to walnuts as nuts, they pay handsomely as pickles. 
For this purpose they must be picked green. This could be made 
a most profitable side industry in connection with large groves. 

One grower had an incjuiry for two carloads of green walnuts 
to be used for this purpose. Large quantities are imported 
annually and they sell at very high prices. 

They are also used for dyeing purposes, giving a beautiful 
brown shade difficult to obtain except with walnut hulls. 

Oil which is often substituted for olive oil is manufactured 
from walnuts, thus suggesting another commercial avenue. One 
hundred pounds of walnuts produce (Mghteen pounds of oil. 




54 




Plate Three 



The "Prince of Yamhill" 



VARIETIES 



The beautiful nuts shown on Phite 3 arc seedlings from the 
orchard of Mr. Thomas Prince, of Yamhill county. They are 
probably the handsomest walnut as to size, form and color as well 
as taste that may lie found anywhere. The tree has not had an 
orchard try-out yet. It if proves to be a good bearer with the 
other qualities suitable for this climate and soil condition, it will 
enter the field high up in the standard of excellence. 

There is some discrepancy in Avhat constitutes standard varie- 
ties of Avalnuts. We have endeavored to get nuts both from 
Oregon and California to fix a uniform understanding as to the 
different varieties. The types submitted by Mr. A. IMcGill of 
the Oregon Nursery Co., Plate 1, are No. 1, 1 Vrooman Franquette, 
No. 2, 2 Mayette, No. 3, 3 Mayette Rouge, No. 4, 4 Parisienne, No. 
5, 5 Praeparturien, No. 6, 6 Chaberte, No. 7, Cluster. 

Plate No. 2, by Mr. Ferd Groner, No. 1, 1 Franquette, No. 2, 
2 Glady, No. 3, 3 Payne, No. 4, 4 Mayette, No. 5, 5 Meylan, No. 6, 
6 Parisienne, No. 7 Cluster. No. 8 Preparturien, are about as near 
uniformly correct as we have. 



l:M^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON w_^ , 

\ ~.^-^-~JP •'-■ ■ "/ 

The Chaberte luits, which confectioners use, are a special in- 
dustry, the kernels being slipped out of the shells without break- 
ing, and sold in this form. All the smaller nuts, the imperfect 
ones — the culls — find ready sale both shelled and unshelled for the 
manufacture of walnut cand.y, walnut cake, etc. 

WEIGHTS, KERNEL AND TASTE 

The first Walnut Show was held at ]\IcMinnville, November 1, 
1907, and was judged by H. ]\I. Williamson, Secretary of the 
State Board of Horticulture. oMost of the following memoranda 
on weights are taken from his report : 

James Morrison, Franquette 32 to the pound 

F. W. Myers, Mayette 34 " " 

F. W. Myers, Seedling 85 " '' " 

James Morrison, Seedling Franquette 42 " '' " 

James Morrison, Grafted IMayette 88 " 

D. H. Turner, Seedlings 42 " " 

James Morrison, Blanche Mayette 84 " " " 

James Morrison, Grenoble Mayette 82 " "' " 

D. H. Turner, Parry 48 " " 

Mayette Shaped Proeparturiens 64 '' " " 

R. P. Ungerman, Seedlings 50 " " " 

Bland Herring, Proeparturiens "?>% " " " 

Bland Herring, Bijou 22 " " 

Pleasant Cozine, Seedlings 42 " '' 

Casey tree. Seedling 55 " " " 

E. Estes, fourth generation from Casey tree.... 52 " '' " 

Thos. Prince Seedling 40 " " " 

Derr Tree, Parry 60 " " 

The investigations in regard to relative weights of kernel and 
shell of the different varieties is made up from an article read 
by Mr. Ferd Groner before the State Horticultural Society, 
December, 1909. 

The Vrooman Franquette shell and kernel weighed equal. 

The Payne Seedling gave slightly more kernel than shell. 

The Mayette slightly more shell than kernel. 

The Meylan, shell and kernel equal. 

The Gladys, shell and kernel equal. 

Franquette, near Salem, shell weighed two and one-half times 
that of kernel. 

67 



L^^ WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON ^"'^ j 

Other experiments show that the Proepartiirien shell and ker- 
nel are about equal. 

While the weight of the kernel is of great importance to the 
consumer, the taste and digestibility is still more so. In this is 
the food value of the walnut. The food value will in time be the 
commercial value. There is very little variation in the taste of 
any one variety of wild nuts or fruits, but the cultivated walnut, 
as well as the cultivated peach and apple, has a great variety 
of tastes, and it does not require an expert to distinguish the 
good from the poor qualities. 

Walnuts should be graded as to variety, the varieties should 
then be graded as to size, but the paramount duty of the grower 
is to produce a creamy, delicious walnut of excellent flavor. The 
soil and climate has proven their excellence, and it is now for the 
intelligent grower to do his part. 

WHO SHOULD INVEST 

Professional men and women, business men and women, those 
living in cities and towns and confined to offices, stores and fac- 
tories, will find an investment in forty or fifty acres of walnut 
land at the present time wholly Mnthin their possibilities. Special 
terms can be arranged and their groves planted and cared for at 
small cost. While they are working their groves will be growing 
toward matiirity, and in less than a decade they may be free 
from the demands of daily routine: the grove will furnish an 
income, increasing each season until the twentieth year, and will 
prove the most pleasant kind of old age annuity, and the richest 
inheritance a man could leave his children. 

The practical farnu^r, or the inexperienced man who desires to 
escape the tyranny of city work by way of the soil will find that 
a walnut grove offers an immediate home, a living from small 
fruits and vegetables while his trees are maturing, and at the end 
of eight or ten years, the beginning of an income that Mnll every 
year thereafter increase, while the labor exacted will gradually 
lessen until it amounts to practically nothing. Like rearing chil- 
dren, a walnut grower's troubles are over with the trees' infant 
days. 

The capitalist can find no better place for his money than 
safely invested in Oregon walnut lands; the rise is certain and 
near. 

58 




The ''Meat" of the Walnut 

Some years ago "Outlook," a most conservative publication, 
spoke of the English walnut as "a tree of vast commercial import- 
ance in the far west." 

Luther Burbank states: "The consumption of walnuts is 
increasing among all civilized nations faster than any other food." 



v*TS7^ 



WALNUT GROWING IN OREGON 



CONCLUSION 

B. M. Lelong, Secretary of the California State Board of 
Horticnlture, wrote in 1896 : 

"California growers have had a long and varied experience 
with many failures, and when they finally began to place their 
walnuts on the market they were obliged to accept the humiliating 
price of from 3 to 6 cents a pound less than that paid for imported 
walnuts. ' ' 

In Oregon the reverse is true. Our walnuts command a price 
above that paid for walnuts raised anywhere else. The size, 
cracking-out quantity, delicate flavor and delicious creamy taste, 
are the qualities that give the Oregon walnut its surpassing ex- 
cellence. If we have this pre-eminence at the beginning of the 
industry, what may we expect when intelligent cultivation has 
produced the best grade of walnuts of Avhich our soil and climate 
are capable? 

To Oregon, then, with its vast areas adapted to this industry, 
must the world look for its great annual Avalnut harvest in the 
years to come. The far-seeing man will secure an interest in 
Oregon walnut lands now, before speculation and a general 
awakening to their real value have boosted the price to that of 
walnut lands elsewhere. 




View in Prince Walnut Grove Dundee. Oregon 



60 





WALNUT OROWINO IN OREGON 



OREGON WALNUT AREA BY COUNTIES 

Note : The price of laud varies according- to location ; the 
cheaper land is not all cleared. 





Groves now 


Bearing trees. 


Available land. 


Pri( 


?e 


County. 


planted. 






per acre. 


Washington 


Many young 


A number bear 


Thousands of 








ones. 


full crops. 


act es. 


$'25 to 


$200. 


Multnomah 


Several young 


Many scattered. 


Several 








groves. 




thousand. 


$50 to 


$200. 


Yamhill 


3.000 acres. 


5,000 trees. 


40,000 acres; 
every quarter 
section has 












suitable land. 


$50 to 


$250. 


Clackamas 


100 acres. 


Many scattered; 


I Several 










one grove. 


thousand. 


$20 to 


$500. 


Polk 


Several hundred 100 trees. 


Many thousand. 


$25 to 


$100. 




acres. 










Marion 


A few 


A number in 


Hundreds 










beaiing. 


of acres. 


$20 to 


$•500. 


Benton 


No record. 


No record. 


Many acres 


$20 to 


$100. 


Linn 


Several young 


Several 


Many hundred 








groves. 


scattered. 


acres. 


$20 to 


$500. 


Lane 


300 acres. 


A few scattered 
bear heavily. 


; 10,000. 


$60 to 


$125. 


Douglas 


None. 


Many; loaded 
with nuts. 


Thousands 
of acres. 


$25 to 


$100. 


Josephine 


No record. 


A number; 


Hundreds 










scattered. 


of acres. 


No record? 


Jackson 


30 or 40 acres. 


Hundreds scat- 


Several 










tered through 


thousand. 


$25 to $ 


225. 






valley loaded 












with nuts. 








Baker 


A few groves. 


Many producing Thousands of 






(Eastern Ore.) 




trees. 


acres. 


$25 to 


$150? 



GOLD MEDAL WALNUT EXHIBIT 

(See cut on following page) 

Last year the Walnut club of McMinnville made an exhibit 
of home groAvn Avalnuts at the A.-Y.-P. Exposition and was 
awarded a gold medal. They have a very attractive and artistic 
way of putting up an exhibit, classifying and arranging the 
diiferent varieties in glass cases in such a manner as to attract 
universal attention and call forth the heartiest exclamations of 
admiration. The accompanying cut shows one of their exhibits 
in position. It is nine feet high and nearly five feet wide and 
is faced alike on both side. 

This club was organized for the purpose of studying the wal- 
nut industry in all its details. They employ scientists and experts 
to tell how and to demonstrate the various methods of walnut 
culture. There are scores of 5 and 10-acre tracts planted to 
walnuts in the vicinity, as well as experimental trees on the lots 
in town and along the streets. They call McMinnville "The 
Walnut City." 



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62 



Railroad Representatives 

Who will take pleasure In giving all desired infopmation as to rates, routes, 
train schedules, hotel accommodations, etc., and make advance arrangements 
for trips. 

EAST. 

New York J. B. DeFriest, Gen. Eastern Agt., U. P. R. R., 287 Broadway 

New York L. H. Nutting, Gen. Pass. Agt., S. P. S. S. Co., 366 Broadway 

Boston, Mass Willard Massey, N. E. Frt. & Pass. Agt., 176 Wash. St. 

Philadelphia, Pa S. C. Milbourne, G. A., U. P. R. R., 830 Chestnut St. 

R. J. Smith, Agent, S. P. Co., 632 Chestnut St. 

Pittsburg, Pa G. G. Herring, General Agent, 707 Park Bldg. 

Cincinnati. Ohio W. H. Connor, General Agent. 53 East Fourth St. 

Detroit, Mich J. C. Ferguson. General Agent. 11 Fort St., West 

MIDDLE WEST. 

Chicago. Ill W. G. Neimyer, General Agent, 120 Jackson Boulevard 

St. Louis, Mo J. G. Lowe, General Agent. 903 Olive St. 

Kansas City, Mo 

H. G. Kaill, Asst. Gen. Frt. & Pass. Agt., U. P. R. R., 901 Walnut St. 

St. Joseph, Mo S. E. Stohr. Gen. Frt. & Pass. Agt., St. J. & G. L R. R. 

Leavenworth, Kan J. J. Hartnett, Gen. Agt., Rooms 9-11 Nat. Bank Bldg. 

Council Bluffs, Iowa J. C. Mitchell. City Ticket Agent. 522 Broadway 

Des Moines, Iowa J. W. Turtle. Trav. Pass. Agt.. 313 W. Fifth St. 

Minneapolis. Minn H. F. Carter, Dist. Pass. Agent, 21 South Third St. 

Lincoln, Neb E. B. Slosson, General Agent, 1044 O St. 

Omaha, Neb E. L. Lomax, General Passenger Agent, U. P. R. R. 

Pueblo, Colo L. M. Tudor, Commercial Agent, 312 N. Main St. 

Denver, Colo Francis B. Choate. General Agent, 941 Seventeenth St. 

Wm. K. McAllister, Gen. Agt.. S. P. Co.. Suite 3'13 Railway Exc. Bldg. 

CANADA. 

Toronto J. O. Goodsell, Traveling Pa.ss. Agt., Room 14 Janes Bldg. 

SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. 

Atlanta, Ga A. J. Dutcher, General Agent, 121 Peachtree St. 

New Orleans, La 

J. H. R. Parsons, Gen. Pass. Agt., M. L. & T. R. R., 227 St. Charles St. 
Houston, Tex T. J. Anderson, Gen. Pass. Agent, G. H. & S. A. R. R. 

EUROPE. 

London, England Rudolph Falck. General European Agent 

No. 49 Leadenhall St.. E. C. No. 22 Cockspur St.. N. W. 

Liverpool, England No. 25 Water St. 

Antwerp, Belgium 11 Rue Chapelle de Grace 

Hamburg, Germany Amerika Haus. 23-27, Ferdinand Strasse 

PACIFIC COAST. 

San Francisco, Cal Chas. S. Fee, Pass. Traffic Mgr. S. P. Co., Flood Bldg. 

Lewiston, Ida C. W. Mount, District Freight & Passenger Agent 

Los Angeles, Cal H. O. Wilson, Gen. Agt., U. P. R. R.. 557 Spring St. 

T. A. Graham, Asst. Gen. Pass. Agt., S. P Co. 600 S. Spring St. 

Olympia, Wash J. C. Percival, Agent, Percival's Dock 

Salt Lake City, Utah D. E. Burley, Gen. Pass. Agt., O. S. L. R. R. 

Seattle, Wash W. D. Skinner. Gen. Frt. & Pass. Agent, O. & W. R. R. 

E. E. Ellis, General Agent, 608 First Ave. 
Tacoma, Wash...Robt. Lee, Gen'l Agt., Berlin Bldg., Eleventh and Pacific Ave. 

Spokane. Wash H. C. Munson. City Ticket Agent, 601 Sprague Ave. 

Walla Wala, Wash R. Burns, District Freight and Passenger Agent 

Wallace, Ida G. A. Marshall. Commercial Agent 

Astoria, Ore G. W. Roberts, Commercial Agent, O. R. & N. Dock 

Portland, Ore C. W. Stinger, City Ticket Agent, 3d and Washington Sts. 

R. B. MILLER. Traffic Manager WM. McMURRAY, Gen. Pass. Agt. 

JOHN M. SCOTT, Assistant General Passenger Agent 
Portland, Oregon , '"• 



JUL 25 




PUB. 2e A-20-10 10M 



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